The Truth of the Matter
by CoolKid94
Summary: Conan likes Haibara, but he knows telling her directly is doomed to fail. Even without knowing if she likes him back, he resolves to tell her anyways, but will it work out the way he wants? Slightly AU CoXAi
1. How to Tell Her

I hadn't really planned on starting another story so soon, but this one just hit me and I had to. Yeah, kinda cheesy, but oh well :P. For those of you who don't read descriptions, this is a ConXAi love story. It is AU, and takes place ten years after the current timeline, when all the kids are in high school. All other details about this can be found in-story. As for my motive for suddenly writing a story like this out of the blue, look at the bottom of this page.

Disclaimer: I do not own Detective Conan in any way, shape, or form, other than licensed merchandise.

* * *

Chapter One

At age 17, Conan Edogawa was a very handsome high school student. He was a talented soccer player, as well as a high school detective, and was well-liked and admired by both the school and the community. He was also extremely intelligent, with a higher than average IQ and a knack for knowing more than he should.

Conan had four close friends, Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, and Ai. He had known them ever since he had started high school a year before. He had actually met Ai in junior high, when their respective schools had competed in a sort of 'Technology Bowl' challenge, and since they were each the most powerful members of their teams, they had really gone off on each other, even stealing answers from the own teams in an attempt to show each other up. The next year when they had become each others' classmates at Teitan High, after an intense rivalry during the first part of the freshman year, they had become fast friends. Mitsuhiko and Genta Conan had known since elementary, while Ai and Ayumi had been fast friends since _their_ elementary days.

Now, as a high school student, Conan was in a dilemma. While he had, at first, simply thought of Ai Haibara as a good friend, he now felt something more for her. Sure, his friend Ayumi was the bombshell in the group, but that wasn't all Conan was interested in. His type of girl was someone responsible, caring, and smart, with beauty as an added bonus. That was why he liked Ai Haibara so much, as more than a friend. Unfortunately, their rivalry from the years past resulted in both of them calling each other simply by their surnames, whereas Conan called the others by their given names instead.

So now, Conan was walking home from school, thinking to himself about what to do. 'Well, I've been friends with her for years, so it's not hard to talk to her, but it wouldn't be that easy, especially not about something like _that_. Besides, she's…Haibara. She's different from everyone else. Her personality is colder than the average girl. Besides, she's just as smart as I am, if not more so. Going further might make me feel like a complete idiot.' As Conan thought through this, he became aware that Ayumi had been glancing at him frequently the whole time, and he knew why. 'Then there's Ayumi-chan. She asked me out partway through freshman year, but she's not really my type, so I kind of mumbled an excuse. I think she still likes me, though. But if I ask Haibara out, what will Ayumi-chan do? There's just no telling with girls.'

When the five of them split up to go home, Conan made a decision. He decided to ignore the threat of Ayumi and just go for it. However, not directly. He instead decided to go about it in a more roundabout fashion.

XXX

When Conan walked in the door, he said hello to his guardian, a beautiful woman by the name of Ran Mouri. Conan's parents had disappeared when he was just six years old, so he'd been put in the care of some of their friends, the Mouris. He'd had a brief crush on Ran when he was younger, but after her childhood friend Shinichi (also a detective) had been killed saving a little boy from a fire, she'd become a completely different person, hard and cold towards everyone. Being around this attitude had made Conan more used to it, which is why he liked Haibara so much; she shared it.

"Oh, Conan-kun!" Ran exclaimed when Conan walked in the door of her late husband's detective agency. After his death, Conan and the rest of the Detective Boys had kept it in business, and Ran was eternally grateful to them, although she tried to hide it. "What's wrong?" she asked, seeing the look of concentration on his face. "Is it another case?" she asked hopefully.

Conan hesitated a second before replying, "Oh, it's just girl trouble." Instantly, a look of pure astonishment was on Ran's face.

"Did Ayumi-chan ask you out again?" she teased, nudging him gently as Conan sat down in a chair.

Again, Conan hesitated before replying, "No. This time it's _me_ that likes a girl."

"It's Ai-chan, isn't it?" asked Ran knowingly. This time it was Conan's turn to be amazed.

"How could you possibly guess that?" he asked in astonishment.

"I know you too well, Conan-kun," she replied, gently squeezing his shoulder with her hand. "Besides, the only thing that could give a genius trouble is another genius, right?"

"Fine," Conan relented. "Don't tell me how, though; I want to work this out on my own. I don't even know if she likes me, so telling her anything is basically a shot in the dark. I'm going upstairs." Pushing past Ran, he marched upstairs, shut himself in his room, and began to think about what he could do. Then he realized how he could both tell her the truth and test her feelings for him in one move; he could write a letter. However, he would leave the letter anonymous. In this way, she couldn't embarrass him about it in her snarky way, and he would know if she liked him or not if she confronted him about it, since technically the letter could've been written by anyone.

Settling down at his computer, Conan began to type his letter.

_To Miss Ai Haibara,_

_I've been meaning to tell you something for a while, but I could never muster the courage. As today is Valentine's, I figured I might as well just go ahead and say it. For several years now, I've liked you, as more than just a friend. I don't know exactly __when__ I started to like you, but I realized the truth a while ago and have just been keeping it to myself for fear of being rejected. _

_There are several reasons I like you. For one, you are extremely proactive, and are entirely willing to get your hands dirty where the rest of us might not. You are also prone to jumping the gun and taking on more work than you handle. Another reason is because of your attitude. You can be a bit quiet sometimes, chilling people to the bone with just one glance, but inside I know you to be a kind and thoughtful person, and are not above taking other people's thoughts and feelings into consideration before your own. _

_Now that I've gotten all of that off my chest, you might be wondering why I have purposely avoided using any words, phrases, or characters that might give away my identity. I want to remain anonymous because I consider myself to be out of your league. I'm not afraid to admit that you are smarter than me and that the chances of you actually liking me back are probably slim to none. Just knowing the truth, whether you like me or not, would satisfy me, since the pain of being unsure would be much greater than the pain of a possible rejection. But since I'm anonymous, I'm probably just dreaming, aren't I?_

_If you have read this far in this letter, I appreciate your courtesy in humoring me. I have confidence you __are__ reading this sentence, however, since, as I stated earlier, I know you to be a kind and courteous person. _

_Love,  
__A Secret Admirer_

Satisfied with the letter, Conan began to plan exactly how to give it to her.

* * *

Next up, Conan will give her the letter. What will happen? Will there be plot advancement? Will she even care? Is this love story doomed to fail before it even starts?

OK, the explanations portion. This'll be good. OK, so basically, the events of this story are a reflection of the real-life events happening to me right now. I'm Conan and Haibara is the girl I like. The letter I copy/pasted with few changes. I did add several events to this story to flesh it out, of course, and I'm keeping with the characters' personalities rather than ours. So it's kind of AU, kind of not in that regard. I hope you all enjoy the story, and please don't give me love advice unless I ask. Although I do ask for story reviews. Reviews are good. :D


	2. Letter Among Chocolate

After being on vacation for a week, I can finally update this story. This chapter is pretty cute, and has some pretty funny dialogue. I also keep Conan and Haibara in character for the dialogue portion, although you can see fluff if you squint. Thanks for the reviews, too, and thank you also for bearing with me during the long update intervals. I should be updating more regularly in the future, or at least I hope I can.

* * *

Chapter Two

The next day was, coincidently, Valentine's Day. Conan knew that he would be swamped with all sorts of chocolate from all of his many fans, both of his detective work and of his soccer skills. However, Conan had his letter to deliver, too. He knew that it wouldn't be easy with all the fangirls swarming him, but he knew he had to try. Walking alone to school, Conan knew exactly what he was going to do. He would slip the note into her bag during class, when everyone was distracted by the gift giving. He was counting on the fact that Haibara was going to be giving out her famous homemade chocolate and wouldn't be around her desk at the time.

As Conan had predicted, the moment he entered the school grounds, he was instantly swarmed by a ton of girls. He was fully aware of guys everywhere looking at him jealously, but he was too preoccupied to care. Conan calmly accepted all the chocolate that was thrust on him, all the while keeping an eye out for Haibara, although he figured she was already inside the school with the rest of their friends.

When the bell rang, everyone scurried into their classrooms, leaving Conan to deal with all the chocolate. He dumped some of it in his shoe locker to save himself the trouble of lugging it around, but the rest he stowed away in his bag, his desk, and anywhere else he could, just to get rid of it.

Luckily, the teacher was late for personal reasons, so Conan didn't get in trouble for being late himself. He went right to his desk and sat down, aware of all the eyes on him. Then the teacher, Mr. Tanaka, rushed in the door, apologized for running late, and started the lesson, oblivious to the fact that all the girls were holding chocolate and glaring at him. When it became clear the chocolate exchange was _not_ going to occur in Class 3-B that Valentine's, the girls resolved to give their crushes their chocolate later on.

Conan didn't receive a chance to plant his letter until much later on that morning, during gym class outside in the courtyard. As part of a special Valentine's Day event, the instructor divided the class into girls and boys to play dodgeball. The teams were uneven, but nobody cared about that. They just wanted a good old 'battle of the sexes'. However, since it was a 'special event', there was a twist to the rules. Besides the normal dodgeball rules, there was one extra: if someone threw a ball and their lover on the other team caught it, the entire other team was back in the game. This rule made sure that the game would go on for longer, preventing it from being won in a timely manner.

When the whistle blew, the game soon turned into an all-out war. The guys might have had more strength on their side, but the girls were more agile and could dodge more easily. Plus, there were more of them. Conan stalked up and down the guys's side of the yard, throwing a ball every now and then. He regretted not being able to kick anything. Soon, however, he was the only guy left. He stood in the middle of his half of the yard, surrounded by dodgeballs and glaring at the eight girls still remaining. He noted that both Haibara and Ayumi were still in. Then four of the girls pelted him with their balls, and Conan barely dodged them all. Then both Ayumi and Haibara threw theirs. Conan threw himself out of the way as the two streaked towards where he'd been. Then Conan, in an impulsive action, caught Haibara's in midair. With a roar, Mitsuhiko ran back into the game and took up the challenge with Conan as Haibara sat down on the sidelines, breathless.

Ayumi threw another ball at Conan, which this time he was too slow to avoid. Shocked, he sat down with the rest of the guys a minute before making up his mind. He muttered to Genta that he was heading to the bathroom and went into the school, heading straight for the locker rooms. Taking a look around, he snuck into the girls' locker room when the coast was clear and immediately gagged from the mixed smells of sweat and old perfume. After making sure that no one was going to walk in on him, he began systematically opening and closing lockers, looking for Haibara's stuff. It wasn't long before he found it. He slipped the letter into a small outside pocket, knowing full well that she wouldn't find it until later, since all that pocket contained was her calculator and her house keys. Satisfied with his progress, he returned to the rest of the class, just in time to see Mitsuhiko get creamed by Ayumi.

XXX

The rest of the day passed smoothly. The girls that hadn't been able to give out their chocolate during class gave it all out during lunch, prompting Genta to roam the cafeteria for abandoned lunches, from which he stole the grilled eel. Many other people were also exchanging chocolate, making the entire room a madhouse.

The first person Ayumi gave chocolate to was Conan. When he accepted it, he knew at once that the chocolate was special. It was clearly homemade. Ayumi was also looking at Conan with a look of nervousness. Conan played along, unwrapping a corner of the chocolate; he took a bite from the exposed corner. Not finding a thing wrong with it, he gave Ayumi the thumbs up, making her face light up in joy. When she showed no inclination of sitting back down, Haibara stepped in. "Don't you have some more chocolate to give out, Ayumi-chan?" she asked, not unkindly.

Ayumi jumped. "Oh, sorry Ai-chan," she apologized, picking up her bag of chocolate and scurrying away. Then Haibara stood over Conan, glaring at him. She held her chocolate hostage in a plastic tote.

Conan, wary of the smart girl, put a cover on his bento so he wouldn't find his face in it should Haibara be mad for what happened earlier. "Are you nervous about something, Edogawa-kun?" she asked sweetly, ignoring the curious glances coming from all directions.

"I'm just wondering why you're standing over me like that," said Conan truthfully.

"I'm testing you," she responded cryptically. At his confused look, she elaborated, "I'm testing you to see whether I should give you some of my chocolate or not. After all, it took me two hours of my private time to make, and I only have fifteen pieces. It comes at a price. That's why I'm testing you."

"Since when do you test someone for candy?" asked Conan cheekily, grinning at her as if he knew more than she was letting on. He could tell by her attitude that something was up, although he couldn't put his finger on exactly _what_.

Haibara glared at him, making him flinch as if he'd been stung by a whip. "After all the work I put into this, you _dare_ to call it candy?" she asked, her voice rising by the second, which was yet another aspect that was out of character for her. Then she sighed and said, "Either way, you passed my test; here." She reached into the plastic tote and pulled out a large piece of chocolate, wrapped in a red wrapper. Conan took it and stared at it as if it was made of gold. "Are you just going to sit there looking dumb or are you going to eat it?" she asked exasperatedly. Conan jumped, before removing the wrapper and trying it.

"It's great!" he exclaimed happily, cramming large bits into his mouth. Haibara smirked before walking away to give away the rest. Then Conan was swamped by more girls, and he saw her no more.

* * *

So the letter is planted, the chocolate is exchanged, and now for the waiting. Not on me, but on the characters in the story. Next chapter takes place a few weeks after this one. Hopefully I'll be able to update before too long.


	3. A Failure to Understand

After a month of silence, I have returned to reveal the next chapter of the story. I resolved to finish watching the available DC episodes before updating, which is why it took so long.

* * *

Chapter Three

A month passed with no progress. Conan and Haibara stayed as friends, and Conan was sure that his letter had just been passed off as a joke. He wasn't sure whether he ought to try again or not. He was also having problems with both Mitsuhiko and Genta. He knew they both liked Ayumi to a degree, and they had been harassing him about why she had been looking so down for a while. Conan had had no personal contact with Ayumi other than normal, told them so, and although they both backed off, he could tell they were still suspicious.

Haibara had had no change whatsoever. She acted perfectly normal to him, which for her meant making snarky comments in an attempt to make him feel stupid. Taking the hint, Conan, in turn, treated her exactly the same as before, which in his case meant acting as a mentor and shocking her with his detective abilities. However, there was a change. Ayumi Yoshida had changed a lot. For some reason unknown to anybody, she had given Haibara the cold shoulder. Everyone who noticed this said that they had probably had a row at some point, but no one could confirm or deny anything. Conan had, of course, investigated into what had caused the two to practically cease their friendship, but neither told him anything. Haibara would always accuse his 'detective radar' of needing a tune-up while Ayumi would flare up at him, leaving him more confused than ever.

When White Day came, Conan was at a loss at what to do. He wanted to retain his friendship with both girls, and he wanted them to patch things up as well. Unfortunately, he had no clue how. Eventually, he ran out of ideas and just resolved to buy them both gifts.

Conan walked in the door at school to discover both girls standing in the hallway in the midst of a shouting match. Many students were aching to see a fight, and it was all the teachers could do to restore order. Unable to hear what the fight was about, Conan went on to class, oblivious to the stares coming his way.

Conan had just reached the science lab when Haibara stormed in, fuming. She was almost shaking with rage. Conan decided to wait for her to cool off before trying to make peace. Unfortunately, Haibara had other ideas. "I suppose you saw the whole thing, didn't you?" she began. Conan said nothing, but she wasn't listening. "I guess you think I'm a feeble little girl for losing my temper like that. Well, I'll just say one thing; SHE started it. She did last month, too. What was I supposed to do, just stand there and take a barrage of insults?" Conan said nothing.

Haibara said nothing more, instead taking out her laptop and doing some math, ignoring Conan completely. However, he could tell her mind wasn't really on her work; the way she stared at the same spot on the screen said it all. Conan, taking a chance, broke the tension and said, "Well, I bet I know something that will cheer you up."

"It had better not be some stupid reassurance that the argument was unjustified," she said, not looking up from her computer, "because if it is, I'm ignoring it."

"No, it's just…here," he finished lamely, taking his wrapped gift from his bag and giving it to her. She eyed him suspiciously before taking it and ripping off the wrapping. When she saw what it was, she stared at it, as if not believing her eyes. "If you could see you face right now," said Conan, grinning.

Haibara regained her composure at once. "Don't think this changes anything, Edogawa-kun," she said, stowing the brand new Fusae brand wallet into her purse, failing to hide her glee at being offered such a great gift. It had cost Conan a ton, but now Conan knew that it was money well spent. He was still amazed he had gotten it at such short notice. But his amazement at that had been _nothing_ compared to the look on Haibara's face when she'd seen it. Now Conan had to try to implement Stage Two of his plan.

XXX

Stage Two involved sneaking Ayumi her gift without Haibara seeing. Conan hoped that he could knock Ayumi back to her senses by giving her something truly amazing. He knew that any gift from him that wasn't crap would go over well with her, so he wasn't really too worried.

He managed to corner her on the stairs in the afternoon, when he knew for sure that Haibara was in the restroom. "What do you want?" asked Ayumi sulkily when Conan called out to her. She looked at the floor, tears welling in her eyes. Conan was not heartened by this fact, but pressed on anyways.

"I just wanted to repay you for that chocolate last month," he said, rummaging in his bag for the gift.

"Don't bother," she said, turning to go. "The whole school knows you like Ai-chan."

"WHAT?" asked Conan sharply, startling her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, _please_," she said airily, wiping her nose with her handkerchief. "Everybody knows. You two have been close for years. It was only a matter of time before your feelings changed. I gave you that chocolate last month as a last ditch attempt to disprove the rumors. It didn't work." Then she did something totally unexpected: she hugged him. "Promise me you'll take care of Ai-chan, OK Conan-kun? Just don't be afraid to tell her how you feel. Also," she paused a second before finishing, "will you tell her that I apologize for my horrible attitude lately? It was foolish of me, and it's not even her fault."

"Uh, sure," said Conan, now more confused than ever.

"OK, then!" said Ayumi, now appearing to have much more energy than she'd had a minute before. She hugged him another time before walking away to go to her next class. Unknown to both of them, Ai Haibara stood at the top of the stairs, looking at Conan like he was an alien. By the time Conan had climbed to the top of the stairs, she had disappeared.

* * *

Now the story is _really_ heating up. What will happen next? Will there be most outrageous bullcrap, more misunderstandings, and more interruptions? You'll have to wait and see!


	4. The Second Letter

Now for the next part. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

Chapter Four

Conan resolved to let Haibara know that he had sent her the letter as soon as possible. He couldn't tell her directly, as he would seem desperate and she would scorn him again. However, he knew he couldn't really wait around, either. After the next class, he planned to use the break to type up another letter in the library, which he planned to give to Haibara before the end of the day. When the time came, however, that plan turned out to be a bust, since the library's printer was under maintenance.

That night, Conan typed the letter out at home. It read:

_I don't know if you got my first letter, or if you even read it at all. For the sake of this letter, I'm going to assume you did, as I'll look rather silly, like a criminal that tries to rob a bank with only a hatchet. I just wanted to tell you that over the years I've really enjoyed knowing you, no matter how brief it was. I wish you luck in whatever activities you might partake in in the future. _

_A Secret Admirer_

XXX

The next day, Conan immediately tried to give Haibara the letter, but was thwarted at every opportunity, for varying reasons. One of which was the reconciliation of Ayumi and Haibara, much to the shock of everyone. Another time she had darted into a restroom as he'd approached, giving him no time to talk. By the time lunch came around, Conan was tired of not being able to chase her down and resolved to slip it into her shoe locker at the earliest opportunity.

Luckily for him, however, he got paired with her during their English class (mainly because they were the most proficient in the class and the teacher didn't want the other students to cheat). After being assigned to practice conversational English, the class went to work.

"_Don't talk to me,"_ said Haibara at once, in perfect English.

"_Why not?" _asked Conan, puzzled.

"_Why don't you figure it out, Mr. Great Detective?" _she asked irritably, clearly not wanting to be forced to talk with him.

"_What's your problem, Haibara?"_ he asked, stunned by her behavior. It was unlike her to get so emotional.

"_I would think it to be obvious,"_ she replied, ending the conversation. Conan, used to her shutting him out, was not fazed.

"_I don't know if you want it or not,"_ he began, _"but I was asked to give you this earlier."_ He took the letter out of his bag and handed it to her. She took it suspiciously, sliced open the envelope, and read the contents. Conan's heart pounded, and he worried if she would be able to hear it or not. _"What is it?"_ asked Conan, faking ignorance.

"Nothing," she replied, unconsciously reverting back to Japanese. As she put the letter away, Conan thought he could see a twinge of pink on her cheeks, but it was gone a second later, so he was sure he had imagined it. At any rate, the letter seemed to have improved her mood a bit, as she was now more willing to talk with him about various topics.

It was when they were talking about some of the recent cases Conan had solved when Haibara asked, _"What would be the absolute WORST weapon you could rob a convenience store with?"_

"_A two by four, I guess,"_ Conan replied.

"_What about an axe?" _asked Haibara.

"_That might actually work. It would give the criminal great reach over the counter. It could also be used to bash open the register if need be. Anything shorter than that and the cashier could take the upper hand. Of course, the only exception to that is a gun."_

"_So knives, too?"_

"_Knives can be easily avoided unless the culprit vaults over the counter. Another common tactic is to take a customer or employee hostage and force the cashier to fork over the dough."_

"_I see," _was all Haibara said, mulling over his responses. She said nothing else for five minutes and eventually pulled out a fashion magazine to read. Soon, class ended.

XXX

During the following week, several events occurred the shocked the student body. Ayumi and Haibara had made up their friendship, and Haibara had even helped Ayumi find a boyfriend. There were numerous reports on how it had happened, but one thing was for sure: there was no longer any danger of them fighting anymore. Mitsuhiko and Genta were more than happy about this; they had spent the last week trying to stay out of their way, although they were both sulky about not being picked by Ayumi.

It was when Conan was heading home exactly one week after White Day that he was interrupted from his thoughts by a quiet voice asking, "Could I talk to you a moment, Conan-kun?"

Conan, not immediately placing the voice, took his time in looking up at the speaker. Then he realized who it was: Ai Haibara. Luckily, she seemed to be staring at the ground and hadn't noticed his face go bright red. By the time she looked up, he had managed to control it. Then she asked something startling, "Did you give me a letter last month?"

* * *

Ha, another evil cliffhanger! What's going to happen now? Is Conan man enough to tell her the truth?


	5. The Confrontation

One of the best chapters of any story I've written is now here. Bunch of good stuff in here. Plus a new POV. (And yes, I know I took too long. Blame Calculus.)

* * *

Chapter Five

"What do you mean, Haibara?" asked Conan, instantly wary. He knew perfectly well how cunning Haibara could be, since she typically used it to his detriment. "I gave you one last week when a friend asked me to, if that's what you mean."

"That's not _exactly_ what I mean," she replied, looking at him intensely. "That letter you passed along to me was actually the second one I've gotten from the same person; they used the same kanji in the signature in both letters, so it can't be a different person."

"So you want me to tell you who asked me to pass that letter along?" asked Conan. "Well, I kind of promised not to. They said they wished to remain anonymous. Since it was White Day, I figured the reason why was pretty obvious, so I went along with it. I don't judge people's emotions, just their logic."

Haibara was still staring at him with an unflinching gaze. Then she said, "Is that so?" before getting right up in his face, making him take a step back in shock. "Do you think I'm an idiot, Kudo?" she asked him, loudly.

"Kudo?" asked Conan, genuinely confused. "Why did you call me that?"

Haibara stepped back, mortified, looking at the ground as if hoping it might open up and swallow her whole. When she didn't respond, Conan stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, making her look up at him. Her cheeks heated up a bit, although it was only noticeable if you were looking for it. "Why are you being so evasive, Haibara?" asked Conan concernedly.

"You want to know? Fine," she replied, pulling away and regaining her usual stern personality. "That letter I got last month was unsigned, but from the writing style, the grammar, and the emotions of the writer I could tell that the writer was extremely intelligent and sincere about what they were saying. Only someone nearly as smart as me could pull that off, even if it was a prank, which I, at the time, couldn't rule out. There was also another emotion that essentially identified the sender: modesty. It's a trait that very few super-intelligent teenagers possess, but which this one did. After thinking about it, there was only one person I knew that could fit those traits. You, Edogawa-kun. Unlike Shinichi Kudo, your mentor, you are much more modest and much more caring towards the victims of crimes, as well as understanding why criminals do what they do. Kudo-san was too close-minded to understand that. Are you aware what I'm getting at?"

Conan was standing stock still, amazed at her deductive reasoning. He had never expected her deduction skills to achieve that level of perfection, since she never showed it naturally. Then he realized that there had to have been some sort of catalyst for her to work off of to come to him. After analyzing what could have prompted her to come to _him_ so quickly, he came to an answer, the ONLY logical answer. "How long, Haibara?" he asked in response to her question.

"You're not nearly as dense as I thought," she replied, smirking. "Three years, in answer to your question. I just never expected to get a letter from you saying the exact same thing." Then she hugged him tightly, making him start in surprise. "How about this?" she asked. "It's a bit unsightly to continue standing in the middle of the street. I'll be in front of Beika Station at 5PM tomorrow. We can talk more then." She let go and walked briskly away, leaving Conan looking after her in wonder.

XXX

Ai Haibara did not go straight home after speaking with Conan. Instead she went to Beika Park and took a good look at what had just happened. The conversation had just been an impulsive move on her part. Just a few minutes before, she had been talking with Ayumi, who had been thanking her for Haibara's assistance in helping Ayumi score.

"But what about you, Ai-chan?" Ayumi had asked. "I feel like I ought to help you in return."

"That's all right," she had replied. She had had the mental image of Ayumi hugging Conan in her mind, and although she now knew that she had misunderstood, the image was beginning to morph into that of a faceless girl, one which might actually succeed. It was one of her greatest fears that the one guy she liked, Conan, might end up with someone else. Over the years she'd known him, she'd swiftly intervened whenever Ayumi had made a move on him, but that had been easy as they were all friends. Now, any girl that might like Conan would no longer have common ground with herself, which would expose her true feelings to the light of day, which was yet another thing she didn't want to happen.

Ayumi, however, insisted, "You've always been nice to me Ai-chan. Besides, I've been really mean to you lately, yet you helped me anyways. I'm just returning the favor."

"I appreciate the intent, but I have better things to do than finding a boyfriend," she replied, turning her face downwards.

"Even if the boy is…Conan-kun?" Ayumi asked cheekily.

"_Yes_," she insisted, hoping to turn the conversation away.

"Whatever, Ai-chan, but I'm not giving up!" Ayumi had concluded as she'd walked away to go home. It was when she had seen Conan ahead of her that the conversation had replayed in her head and she impulsively asked the one question she sincerely hoped she knew the answer to. Now, alone in the park, she began to ponder the repercussions of her impulsive act. What if, by some odd event, she was wrong and it really wasn't Conan? He'd never really answered her, so the possibility existed that she'd made a major mistake. Hoping she was just being paranoid, she got up and headed for home.

She lived her one of her father's old friends, Professor Agasa. Her biological parents had passed away years ago, and her sister had moved to Izu to attend the university. Agasa was a kind man, who put more faith in his inventions than was wise. At any rate, when she got home, Agasa walked in and gave her the portion of the mail that belonged to her. After glancing through two new magazines, she looked at the final piece of mail, a letter with no return address. When she slit it open and read it, all her fears and worries died instantly. It read,

_I will be there, Ai-chan._

There was only one person who wrote like that.

* * *

I'm now resolving to update more frequently. I have a ton of good ideas, but infrequently updating means I lose my train of thought and I generally don't use them.

Yes, 'Kudo' was deliberate, not a slip-up. More on this later.


	6. The Friendship

I _did_ promise to update more frequently, so here's the next chapter. Basically just details the meeting. Includes a bonus story that I never published built in. If you're a sucker for romantic stuff, then you'll enjoy reading the start of Conan's feelings.

* * *

Chapter Six

Ai Haibara arrived at Beika Station twenty minutes early for the meeting. There was a cosmetics shop nearby, but she resisted the temptation to browse and instead leaned against the wall of the courtyard, keeping an eye on every entrance. She didn't have to wait long before Conan appeared, dressed casually but exuding an air of confidence that practically made her swoon. Instead, she waved at him uncharacteristically. When they met, they didn't say a word at first. Instead, they sat down on one of the benches, where they sat in silence for a minute before Conan asked, "So, why do have to say that you couldn't say yesterday?"

"I wanted to give YOU the chance to talk. Tell me how, when, and why. And don't tell me I'm crazy; I'm not _that_ stupid."

"Fine," said Conan, sighing heavily. He took a deep breath, "Freshman year, when we put away that crime syndicate for good. The four of us were down, but you suddenly came out of nowhere and took out the five armed goons that had trapped the four of us. It was the first time you ever joined us with crime-fighting. You looked like a superheroine bursting in through the basement window like you did."

Haibara remembered the incident perfectly. A client had come to the four Detective Boys (minus Haibara, who had just been visiting) asking them to investigate a blackmailer. Conan and Mitsuhiko had instantly deduced that the blackmailer was a professional from the way the blackmail note had been written. They had also deduced that the detailed information in the letter meant that the target was being watched. They had sent Ayumi in to scope out the situation, as they assumed the blackmailers would take no notice of a simple schoolgirl. However, they recognized Ayumi from the paper and attempted to kill her to keep her off their trail. The three guys had then rescued Ayumi and forced the blackmailers to flee, although not before dumping and torching their car on the banks of the Teimuzu.

Conan had, however, managed to slip a tracer in the cuffs of one's jeans, and they had soon tracked down the blackmailers to their home. It was when they forced their way inside, defeated the blackmailers, and called the police that another five of the gang returned, and soon trapped the four in the basement at gunpoint. It was when Haibara had heard on the news that four teenagers had been taken hostage in a basement that she decided to act. Following the police cars in Agasa's old yellow Beetle, she soon arrived at the residence and scoped out the situation. Police were all around the property, ready to burst in at a moment's notice, but it was a fierce standoff. A head gang member talked to police via cell phone, where he stated that he refused to release the hostages alive. Hearing this, Haibara had had enough. Stealing a sledgehammer from a neighboring house, she burst in through the tiny basement window, where she knocked out two guys before any of them could react. The police then used the distraction to burst in and take down the other three. It was at that point that she had officially joined the Detective Boys.

"You would've done the same," she replied, responding to his statement with an air of embarrassment.

"Not like _that_," he insisted. "I would've used a soccer ball instead of a giant hammer. _That_ was pure ingenuity, not to mention heroic. It was so out of character for you that I thought to myself 'Well, what if _this_ is her real personality?' Using this image, I formed a mental picture of who you really were, instead of who you showed yourself to be. The result was a girl I could admire, not just for her brains and witty remarks, but for her bravery, foolishness, and determination to do what's right." Haibara's face had gone bright red by this point, and she looked down at the ground to hide it. "Have I ever told you grateful I was for that?" Conan continued.

"Not like this," said Haibara quietly, slowly looking back up at him. Then she did something so uncharacteristic that Conan was confused as to whether he'd pegged her wrong. She got up and tugged him up and after her, before dragging him into an alley. Taking a look around, she asked, "Have I ever told you how grateful _I_ am to you for being my friend through thick and thin?"

"Not really. You don't talk about emotional stuff that much," said Conan, oblivious to what she was insinuating.

"How about we change that?" she asked, in a tone that made him flinch. Then she grabbed him around the neck, brought his head down, and kissed him, ignoring the look of utter shock that passed across his face. When she let him go, she asked, "Is that thanks enough for you?"

"What was that for?" asked Conan, indignant to the fact that she'd done it with little warning.

"Call it my witty side," she said, walking away and waving over shoulder. "I'll call you later," she promised as she walked away.

"That girl will never change," Conan told himself, lightly touching his still tingling lips.

* * *

And now it starts going downhill. The story's not over, unlike some of my other CoAi stories that end with the establishment of the couple. As I've stated before, the story is an embellished reflection of my personal life, so it therefore will get worse before it (hopefully) gets better. I probably won't leave the couple hanging, but my personal life is pretty much screwed at his point, mainly because she goes to college 350 miles away and is not an avid user of Facebook or Twitter. :P

Of course, please review, and tell me if my frequent updating and my improved writing style is good/bad etc. Please review so I'll have a reason to write more later. It'll be good for everybody! :D


	7. The Mandatory Breakup

How many of you thought that I was going to wait another five months to update? Well, you were wrong, because here it is; the explanations chapter. I sincerely hope you don't kill me for this, but like I've stated before, this story is a general reflection of my love life, so it's gonna end up sad, although I might indulge you guys and turn it around again later. :D

* * *

Chapter Seven

The next few months were the best he'd ever experienced. The fact that he and Ai Haibara were an item spread like wildfire across the community. Conan and Haibara went everywhere together, sparking comments, congratulations, and criticisms from all corners of Beika, where the Detective Boys were best know. Even Kogoro Mouri was shocked, although he covered it up by saying that 'the nerds should stick together so we honest working people actually have a chance'. Inspectress Takagi (formerly Miwako Sato) even congratulated them at a crime scene, to the horror of the victim's family.

However, like all good things, it didn't last. Near the end of the summer term, Haibara found Conan one day after school and dropped some heart-wrenching news. "Conan-kun, when we all graduate, I've decided to go to America to go to school."

"WHAT?"Conan asked, shocked. "How come?"

"There's an excellent graduate program for microbiological studies in New York. I think it will help me achieve my dream of creating cures for poisons. You know I hate seeing all these people die young when they could be saved."

"Isn't there something like that in Japan?" asked Conan desperately.

Haibara rolled her eyes and said condescendingly, "How did Ran-san _ever_ put up with you, Kudo-kun?" Then she realized her mistake and slapped her hands over her mouth.

"You called me 'Kudo-kun' again," Conan observed. "Why?" He ignored her remark because it didn't make sense to him.

Haibara looked down at her feet, as if pondering something. Then her face changed. "Come with me, Conan-kun," she said, taking him by the hand and dragging him off.

It wasn't long before they reached Agasa's house. "What are we doing here?" Conan asked, but Haibara said nothing. Instead she steered Conan onto a couch before sitting across from him.

"I think it's time I told you everything, Kudo-kun," she began. "Please don't interrupt until I finish." She took a deep breath, looked right at him, and began, "This may sound entirely alien to you, but all of it is true. You _must_ trust me on that." She took another breath before launching into the meat of her speech, "You see, Conan-kun, you are not seventeen years old as you might believe. Instead you're twenty-seven. Your birth name was Shinichi Kudo. You grew up much the same as you have now, except that you had just one close friend, Ran Mouri. Over the years, you developed romantic feelings for your friend, so you invited her to Tropical Land for a day. I don't know what you were planning that day, but that day your life changed forever.

"During a murder on a roller coaster, you crossed paths with two men dressed in black. After solving the murder, you followed them to a money hand-off, where they soon discovered you and attempted to kill you with an experimental poison. However, the poison shrank you into a small child instead of killing you. Unsure of where to go, you moved in with your childhood friend under the alias 'Conan Edogawa' in an attempt to locate your attackers.

"After a year of gathering information, you found their headquarters, and you, stubbornly, decided to infiltrate and destroy them from the inside out. However, you were caught and hooked up to a machine to turn you into one of their operatives. Ran-san and her father, Mouri-san attempted to rescue you, but they were also ultimately caught. Kogoro-san was killed outright for being a possible liability. You and Ran-san, however, were turned into vegetables. Agasa-hakase and I contacted Jodie-sensei of the FBI and they led a raid on the headquarters, killing most of the operatives and imprisoning the rest. However, the machines had done irreparable damage to you and Ran-san. Both of you had had your memories completely wiped.

"When we realized that you would never regain your memory, we concocted an elaborate cover story for you. The former version of you, Shinichi Kudo, has been dead for nine years. By all legal means, he died in a fire attempting to save a little boy, but the entire story was fabricated with the help of both the FBI and the police. Inspector Megure was the most shocked. It was he who falsified the official police records of your existence. Since then, you've lived your life as a normal child, although much smarter than average.

"Wait," Conan interrupted, unwilling to stay silent a second longer, "if I'm so much smarter than everyone else, then how come _you_ are just as smart?"

"What's the only logical reason for it?" she asked silkily, taking advantage of the question to tease him again, in order to lighten the mood. She actually was close to tears.

"Are you saying…are you saying that _you_ got shrunk, too?" asked Conan incredulously, stuttering over his words.

"Yes," she replied, "which is what brings me back to why I want to go overseas."

"It's for nostalgic reasons, isn't it?" asked Conan, his eyes downcast.

"…pretty much," she replied, softly. "The university thinks I'm my own younger cousin, which is why they're offering me such a good deal. I don't have any family, and Hakase is too poor, so it's the best option I've got. Besides, I want to make right what I did wrong."

Conan thought about it a minute before looking up and saying, "Well, Ai-chan, I hope you find inner peace in your life. You've got ten years of extra time, so I hope you don't waste it."

"You're…OK with me going?" she asked, startled.

"Not especially, but after thinking about what you just told me, I realized that for you personally, it's the best way to achieve peace of mind. Maybe we could try again afterwards. After all, the world's not that big; I'm sure we'll meet again."

That was when the dam broke. His honest, thoughtful answers broke Haibara down completely; the last time she'd cried so hard was when she had found Conan hooked up to that mind probe. Unconsciously, she found herself getting up and falling into Conan's embrace, still crying away.

* * *

So it turns out that the whole thing wasn't nearly as AU as you guys thought. There hasn't been any canon information as of now as to how the Org. recruits members, so this might be a possible way of doing so. Any AU info I've seemingly contradicted is part of the fabricated story that never happened. After all, I had to fool you all too, right? :P

Positive reviews are nice, but I'll accept just about any kind you can throw at me. Just make them make sense, all right? I've gotten some lately that are so confusing that I can't pick out what they like and what I need to fix. So work on that, OK? And thanks again for reading. New chapter soon!

FYI if anybody has any questions, you can PM me for a quicker answer.


	8. The Reunion

Well, the next chapter is up. The last chapter was the conclusion of where my personal life has gotten to, so the next few chapters are just me being hopeful. Totally within the style of DC of course. Take your best shot at the mystery, and don't be afraid to look at characters I haven't introduced yet as possible suspects.

* * *

Chapter Eight

_Twelve Years Later_

Ai Haibara had done very well for herself. After completing both her undergraduate and graduate studies in just four years, she had accepted a job at her old university, researching cures for diseases, such as AIDS. No one questioned where her intelligence had come from, or why she absolutely refused to work with any kind of life-extension research. Her down to earth personality had made her a respected consultant in her field and after only twelve years, she was giving her first overseas lecture in response to her wildly popular paper on how stress influences the spread of disease.

She arrived at Narita Airport in Tokyo to a large swarm of people, mostly reporters, but quite a few fans as well. She knew she was beautiful, but had never thought about actually settling down with anybody. Not since she'd left _him_ anyways. She still loathed herself for being such a jerk to him, but she had eventually learned to live with it. After he saw her off to America, they had never spoken again. The thought of doing so had kept her from ever doing it, since she knew that it would become an irrepressible habit.

She _had_ kept tabs on Conan, though. Mainly through the internet, where he'd achieved the status of a celebrity, which had increased exponentially when, after hearing her story all those years before, he'd taken off the glasses permanently and become himself once again.

Haibara was startled out of her thoughts by the arrival of a grey limo (she had gone against black for obvious reasons). She pressed through the crowd and got in.

"Where to, ma'am?" asked the driver politely, tipping his hat.

"Beika High Hotel," she said automatically, stowing her belongings. When she looked up at the driver, though, she exclaimed, "Kojima-kun!"

"Hey, Haibara," said Genta, grinning as he started up the car and drove away, one of the last gas-powered cars in the city. "So you're pretty famous now, huh? How long has it been, twelve years? You don't really fit the whole 'celebrity' persona, though."

"I'm a microbiologist, not an idol," Haibara replied hotly, although she was secretly glad to see her old friend. "So how is everyone else doing?"

"Pretty well, actually," said Genta. "Mitsuhiko's a rocket scientist at JAXA. He was one of the top minds behind making that Japanese base on the moon."

Haibara remembered reading about that. A joint effort between NASA, JAXA, and the ESA had helped construct the first functioning science base on the moon. Since she'd been in America, though, the news had focused on NASA's contribution more than the others'. "What about Ayumi-chan?" she asked.

"I guess you have been away for a while. Haven't you heard of the YoshidaTM brand of shoes? You should totally check them out. My wife Miyuki has a whole closet full of them. See?" He pointed to an electronic billboard, where Ayumi was showing off the latest model of shoes.

"Neat. So that means you're a limo driver?"

"Just part time. Almost everything is self-driving now, so they only need drivers for celebrities. My main job is head chef at the restaurant I run with Miyuki. Tell you what, if you stop by, I'll give you a 45% discount, 50 if you get the grilled eel special."

"Sure," said Haibara, making a mental note to check up on everybody at her leisure. "What about Agasa-hakase?"

"Same old thing as always. He married that fashion designer he's loved for fifty years after dating for years. Apparently he thought it'd hurt her public image to be seen with a guy like him, so he held off until she retired. He's got enough money now to blow up as much stuff as he wants, as Conan reminded him just last week."

They'd finally touched the subject. Knowing she had to keep up appearances, she asked, "So how's he doing? Did he finally show up the cops one too many times?"

"Nah, they're too stupid to realize that smoking in their headquarters is killing cops faster than they can catch the crooks. They're always trying to get Conan to solve their cases for them. He holes himself up in the agency most of the time to keep away from both the cops and his fangirls. I'd suggest not going to see him anytime after five if you're planning on it."

"Thanks for the tip," said Haibara, staring out the window at the changed cityscape. She still remembered walking through the city with her sister all those years ago, back before her sister's murder and all the other stuff that had happened since. They passed the rest of the trip in silence, and they soon arrived at the hotel.

"Room 902 for Miss Haibara Ai-sama," said the automated front desk when she went inside. Taking the elevator, she used her handprint to unlock the door and went inside. Genta, who had helped with her bags, hugged her once before leaving cheerfully.

Haibara lay down on the bed, letting all the stress wash off her. She knew better than to be stressed, especially since she was presenting on it in the morning. But meeting Genta again after just five minutes in the city had made her nervous about what was to come. It was then that she noticed the letter on the desk. She picked it up and opened it. Written on it, using cut out letters from various old magazines was the message.

DO NOT SPEAK TOMORROW. IF YOU DO, YOU WILL BE SORRY.

THE FEAR INDUCER

'Apparently with the absence of paper comes the absence of clever names,' Haibara thought to herself, pulling out her phone.

XXX

It was late when the phone rang at the Mouri Detective Agency. Even though no Mouri operated it any more, the name was kept for nostalgia's sake. Inside, a lone man sat behind the desk, reading an online newspaper for anything of interest. He threw down the tablet and picked up the phone.

"Mouri Detective Agency," Conan said into the phone, opening the notepad app.

"Ah, yes, I have a bit of a problem. I received a threat letter from somebody. They don't want me to give a speech tomorrow."

"What was the contents of the letter?" asked Conan, gripping the stylus tightly.

"Do not speak tomorrow. If you do, you will be sorry," the caller replied. "It's from someone named 'The Fear Inducer'. Quite lame if you ask me."

"Do you have any enemies that you have bad history with?" asked Conan, as per standard procedure.

The caller paused a second before saying, "None that I know of. Do you think you can help? I can send a copy of the letter by email if necessary."

"Please do," said Conan. By the way, what's your name?" Another pause. "Shiho Miyano," said the voice at last.

"Very well, Miyano-san," said Conan, whose detective sense had been activated by the client's reserved behavior. "Where are you giving your speech?"

"Teitan University Auditorium, tomorrow at 11. So you'll help?"

"Email me a copy of that letter and I'll see what I can do," said Conan, opening his planner and making a note of it. "Good day, ma'am, and be sure to let the police know about this, too. Let me know at once if you get another threat." With that, he ended the call and went back to scanning the paper.

On the other end, Ai Haibara looked at the phone without actually seeing it. 'Did he…not recognize me?' she thought to herself. She assumed that it was because they hadn't spoken for so long. Shrugging, she set about taking a picture of the letter. Not forgetting proper procedure, she made a detailed analysis of the letter of attributes that were non-visual, such as texture, smell, and weight. When she sent the message, she noted that the oddest part of the letter was that it smelled like women's perfume.

* * *

So there's going to be one more chapter after this. Maybe two, but I doubt it. After getting more comments last chapter than for the rest of the chapters COMBINED, I've decided to indulge you guys with some more drama, hopefully leading up to something good. Hey, I can dream, can't I? :P

The hotel is made up, and all the future tech is my take on what the future might look like. I hope you like the careers I picked out for everybody.


	9. Reunions

The final chapter is here! I sincerely hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

* * *

Chapter Nine

"That is why we decided to focus on stress over anything else. It's even more of a bother in America." Haibara smiled, although anybody who knew her well could tell she didn't mean it. She was sick of using the same line over and over to summarize her work to people. All she wanted was to give her speech and go home. Being a celebrity was NOT for her, she thought wryly. She made an excuse to go to the bathroom to lose the crowd, but when she returned, she found that the lobby was positively _swarming _with reporters. They fell on her like a swarm of bees.

"How does it feel to be in Japan?"

"We heard you used to live here. Have you talked to your friends?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

All these questions and many more were what Haibara was subject to. When the University President suddenly appeared and led her away to prepare for the speech, she was very grateful, even if she was slowly inching closer to a possible sniping.

"We're on in ten minutes," said the President, fidgeting nervously. He was starting to bald, and he wore thick glasses. He glanced around nervously. "I've been a big fan of yours ever since you graduated high school," he said suddenly, making her look at him in surprise.

"How? I only became famous a few years ago."

"To the world maybe, but to me, you've been famous for over _twenty-five_ years! How about that, Sherry?" Haibara stood up, fear flooding her, but the President pulled a gun on her. "Now, now," he said, waving his index finger back and forth like a mother might for a child, "I can't have you running away and calling the cops, or your old boyfriend. As of now, he's probably still at his Agency, wondering why his front door has been jammed shut."

"Who are you? What do you want?" asked Haibara, straining to keep the fear out of her voice. Her senses had dulled in the years since the Organization's defeat, but they were sharp enough for her to realize that this man was indeed a member. She wondered how he'd found her. Then the answer came, the _only_ logical answer. "You're Vermouth," she said slowly, hoping against hope that she was wrong.

"Very good, Sherry!" said the President/Vermouth, ripping off the latex mask to reveal Vermouth's still youthful face. "No detective to bail you out this time," said Vermouth happily, watching as Haibara's eyes darted around the room.

"Why now?" Haibara asked, her mind already forming a plan. "You've had over twenty years to kill me, so why the wait?"

"Thank the Boss, dear," said Vermouth sweetly, removing the remainder of her disguise to reveal her full frame, which looked even younger than she had back in the day. "He was always cautious, and he was always had a contingency plan in case the Silver Bullet succeeded. Knowing the end of the Organization was near he took the DNA of several high-ranking members, excluding his own, and put it in storage. Should the Organization headquarters crumble to the feds, the clone was programmed to be activated. However, the technology of the time didn't allow control over aging like we have today, so I had to grow up the hard way. On my twentieth birthday, the memories of my former self, the first Vermouth, reactivated."

"So you're not the real deal?" asked Haibara. She smirked.

"I have Vermouth's memories! I have her skills! Don't smirk at me girl!" Vermouth shrieked, waving the gun around hysterically. Haibara saw her chance and snatched it from her before she could react. She aimed the gun at Vermouth without missing a beat.

"I knew you were fake the moment you showed yourself," said Haibara calmly. Vermouth looked at her with loathing.

"You just wait until Gin gets hold of you! He's already promised not to hold back! You're dead!" she spat. Haibara continued to smile, putting Vermouth on edge. Then Haibara took a silencer out of her pocket, affixed it to the gun, and fired.

Vermouth fell to the floor, bruised but not hurt, her bulletproof vest having absorbed the brunt of the attack. Her eyes narrowed. "You're not Sherry, are you?"

"Nope," said Haibara, crouching down so her face was an inch from Vermouth's. She reached up and pulled on her hair, and her face came with it.

Vermouth found herself stunned, not comprehending the fact that the face she was seeing was her own.

XXX

Haibara woke up in the back of a car, a bit groggy. She'd been hit with chloroform in the bathroom and had been transported out here. Then she noticed that someone was in the car with her and that she wasn't tied up.

"Who are you?" she demanded, reaching up and gripping him hard on the shoulder.

The man looked back and smiled at her warmly. "Long time no see, Haibara," said Conan Edogawa, enjoying the look of pure shock spreading across the girl's face.

"Kudo-kun!" said Haibara, totally shocked by his presence. "What are you doing?"

"You called me last night, remember? Just because you used your old name doesn't mean I didn't know it was you," he elaborated in response to the confused look on her face. "You obviously were trying to be anonymous, so I didn't press it. Once you sent me that letter, I knew at once it was the Black Organization after you. After all, who would be an enemy of you in a country you haven't visited for a decade? So I went and asked a former member to confirm it."

"Never mind that, HOW did you get your memory back?" Haibara exclaimed.

"I didn't. I asked Hattori and Hakase about it, and they told me everything. Then I took their explanations and filled in the details for myself."

"Fine, go on," Haibara conceded.

Conan continued, "Well, the member we were on best terms with was Vermouth, so I went to her and asked who it might be."

"And she _helped_?" asked Haibara.

"She'd done a lot of thinking and agreed to help. After all, I doubt she wanted to stay in that cell until it crumbled from age. She even knew who it was that wrote it. So we formulated a plan and put it into action. She took your place inside and is even now subduing your would-be killer."

"So you broke Vermouth out of jail to act as a vigilante?"

"Not…exactly. It's complicated. I've got Kuroba taking her place in the cell for a few hours, at least until she takes down the perpetrator."

Just then, a police officer appeared from a side exit, walking towards their car and dragging an unconscious girl behind him. Conan got out to greet him and Haibara followed his lead. She was stunned when she realized the girl was Vermouth.

"You can go back in now," said the officer in a distinctly female voice. Haibara stared at him until he took off his mask, revealing a Vermouth approximately five years older than the unconscious one.

"This should wrap everything up, said Officer Vermouth, handcuffing Young Vermouth and putting her in the back of Conan's car. "She said there were other clones, but I was the only one cloned. Against my will, I might add."

"Wait, so if you're imprisoning the new one in the original's place, then what's going to happen to her?" Haibara pointed at Vermouth, who was determinedly looking up at the sky. Despite her fear of her, Haibara could tell Vermouth was fully enjoying being out in the open again.

"She'll take on a new life," said Conan. "We've already talked it over. She'll go back into acting as the daughter of Chris Vineyard; the police will never suspect that she's the same as the imprisoned Vermouth. She's given up a life of crime, and wants to live an honest life."

"Exactly," said Vermouth, cutting in, "I've lived for over fifty years, and I think it's time I see how the honest half lives. See you, Kudo-kun," she said as she walked away, her long blonde hair, foreign to Japan, blew in the breeze.

"I hope you stay, Haibara," said Conan as he got back in his car. "You always kept us honest. But now you've got to give that speech of yours. So good luck." He shook her hand, revved the engine of his antique non-autonomous car, and drove away.

Haibara stared after him and said, "You bet I'm staying, Shinichi." After the car disappeared, she turned tail and walked back inside, ready to put a new spin on her life once again.

* * *

So, is this a proper wrap-up for this story? I'll let you decide.

In case you're confused, I should probably elaborate on some of the background for this chapter. Clone Vermouth had no memory of Vermouth teaming up with Haibara and Co. to rescue Conan and Ran during the final confrontation, nor of the atrocities performed on them, which effectively turned Vermouth against the Organization. Anokata, when he realized Vermouth had turned, activated the clone machine, but Vermouth destroyed the age controls, leaving Clone Vermouth a baby. The baby got put in an American orphanage in LA and was forgotten about. Although Vermouth helped with the Org.'s defeat, she was still sentenced to life in prison, the same as all the other surviving high ranking members. This chapter was Conan's way of repaying the favor. Clone Vermouth took Vermouth's place in jail and Vermouth started an honest life.

Just to clarify. :D

Now, I'm going to finish my Family Guy crossover, and then I'm going to start two new stories. One will be the next part of the 'Minami Edogawa' series, and the other I haven't decided. Feel free to submit ideas of your own, and don't forget to review!

Signing off for now,

CoolKid94


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